Cannella A, Caruso L, Sassara GM, Taccardo G, Passiatore M, Marescalchi M, De Vitis R. Hemiarthroplasty for irreparable distal radius fractures in the elderly: A comprehensive review. World J Orthop 2024; 15(6): 578-584 [PMID: 38947262 DOI: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i6.578]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Rocco De Vitis, MD, Additional Professor, Surgeon, Department of Orthopaedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A Gemelli 8, Rome 00168, Italy. roccodevitis@yahoo.com
Research Domain of This Article
Orthopedics
Article-Type of This Article
Systematic Reviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Orthop. Jun 18, 2024; 15(6): 578-584 Published online Jun 18, 2024. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v15.i6.578
Hemiarthroplasty for irreparable distal radius fractures in the elderly: A comprehensive review
Adriano Cannella, Ludovico Caruso, Giulia Maria Sassara, Giuseppe Taccardo, Marco Passiatore, Marina Marescalchi, Rocco De Vitis
Adriano Cannella, Ludovico Caruso, Giulia Maria Sassara, Giuseppe Taccardo, Marina Marescalchi, Rocco De Vitis, Department of Orthopaedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy
Marco Passiatore, Department of Bone and Joint Surgery, ASST - Spedali Civili, Brescia 25123, Italy
Author contributions: De Vitis R was the guarantor and designed the study; Cannella A wrote the manuscript; Cannella A, Sassara GM, Caruso L, and Marescalchi M participated in the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of the data and drafted the initial manuscript; De Vitis R, Taccardo G, and Passiatore M revised the article critically for important intellectual content.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Corresponding author: Rocco De Vitis, MD, Additional Professor, Surgeon, Department of Orthopaedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A Gemelli 8, Rome 00168, Italy. roccodevitis@yahoo.com
Received: December 30, 2023 Revised: March 14, 2024 Accepted: April 29, 2024 Published online: June 18, 2024 Processing time: 165 Days and 8.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Elderly patients maintaining functional independence can now be candidates for primary wrist hemiarthroplasty to manage acute irreparable distal radius fractures (DRFs). However, further investigation with long-term follow-up is required to validate these initial findings.
AIM
To review the literature on the outcomes of distal radius hemiarthroplasty with available implants to assess its viability as a treatment option.
METHODS
A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted using electronic databases, including PubMed, Medline, and Scopus. The search terms employed were "distal radius fracture" , "hemiarthroplasty" , "wrist arthroplasty" , and related terminology. The search was restricted to articles published in English from 1980 until June 2023. Inclusion criteria encompassed cases or case series of DRF treated with hemiarthroplasty, providing clinical or radiographic outcomes, and published in peer-reviewed journals.
RESULTS
A total of 2508 articles from PubMed and 883 from Scopus were identified initially. Following screening and removal of duplicates, 13 articles met the inclusion criteria. These articles, predominantly clinical retrospective studies, provided insights into hemiarthroplasty outcomes, including functional improvements and complications. Hemiarthroplasty was a treatment option for complex DRF, particularly those cases with severe comminution, intraarticular involvement, or severe osteoporosis. Functional outcomes demonstrated improvements in pain relief, wrist mobility, and grip strength, with variability across studies. Complications included implant loosening, infection, nerve injury, and stiffness, with varying incidence rates influenced by surgical techniques and implant choice. Long-term outcomes were inadequately documented, warranting further research.
CONCLUSION
Hemiarthroplasty is a promising treatment for irreparable DRF in the elderly. Long-term outcomes and complications require further study.
Core Tip: Distal radius fractures in elderly individuals often present challenges for stable fixation. Hemiarthroplasty has emerged as a treatment option, but definitive guidelines are lacking. This review aimed to clarify the circumstances warranting hemiarthroplasty in distal radius fractures.
